FMA Sparknotes
by boxersonfire
Summary: Sparknotes for Full Metal Alchemist TV series themes, motifs... etc. the stuff you do to books at school i have no life!


**The Sparknotes for FMA**

Before reading this, you might want to finish watching the series. Or else this might spoil it for you. "Might". Don't say I didn't warn you! Ok well yeah I don't have a life and I'm sort of obsessed with writing key facts and making notes on every book that I read but even though I didn't read any FMA book I decided to make an outline/review/summary/fact list to help me understand the series better. Yeah I know this is not fictional story and yeah I have no life and watcha gonna do 'bout THAT!

**Full Title:** FullMetal Alchemist? I don't know! Who cares?!

**Author: **I'm way too lazy to check it up, and plus I probably wouldn't remember the author's name anyway!

**Type of Work: **TV series (and books and manga)

**Language: **Japanese and whatever they translated it into

**Time and place written: **Don't know.

Ok I'm skipping all the rest of the info that I have no clue what it is. Now let's get down to the important/interesting stuff. The motifs and themes and etc.!

**Setting: **Europe, countryside/city

London, Munich…

Other side of the gate (London) I first thought it was World War I since it was before 1921 (1921 was the date shown on the last episode). World War I was from 1914-1918. The name Churchill was mentioned but Churchill was prime minister of the United Kingdom during the World War **II. **This makes no sense because World War II took place during 1939-1945, clearly after 1921. I think the writers of FMA made a mistake. They intended the war to be the First World War, but the use of the names just makes it confusing. Unless England went through a war near the 1920s that is NOT World War I. Ok this is getting confusing! My point: FMA writers failed to give a clear image of its story's setting.

When Dante and Hoenheim first used the Philosopher's Stone that was straight after Medieval Times, a bit earlier than the beginning of the Renaissance (notice the use of the terms "witch-hunt" and "plague") Also, if you do the math, 1921-400 years is equal to the 1500s.

**Tense:** present… I think okay that's not important.

**Protagonist: **Edward Elric

**Major Conflict: **Edward lost his right arm and left leg, his brother Alphonse lost his body during the process of human transmutation in order to bring back their dead mother. (Excuse me, I'm not going to spend my time trying to find a nicer term for "dead mother".)

**Rising Action: **Edward and Alphonse leave their home (or farm) and travel to Central to become state alchemists. Both of them pass the alchemy exam but only Edward is accepted to become the state alchemist (more detailed but if you watched the series you would know what I'm talking about so… on to the next point!) Ed and Al have promised each other that they would sacrifice almost anything to get their original bodies back- which leads them to the search of the Philosopher's Stone. Completely sucked in by what the Stone's capability, many have gone in search of it, many have died, and many have failed. It took many journeys and years of research for the Elric brothers to finally discover how to forge the Philosopher's Stone, only to end up in Ed's disappoint due to its requirements. The Elrics will not rest nor give up until both of their bodies are back to normal, and they will get past any obstacle that stands in their way, including the homunculi they encounter (especially Sloth), and, even their own father.

**Climax: **Let me put this in point form, much easier for me

Ed and Al live with Shou Tucker, a state alchemist who helps them get through their alchemy exam. During their stay with Tucker, both of them learn more about equivalent exchange and human transmutation.

Ed and Al meet the homunculi including Lust, Gluttony, Envy… etc. whom force Ed to create the Philosopher's Stone after providing with all the materials needed. His goal about to be reached, at the tip of his fingers, Ed is still reluctant of forging the Stone because of the sacrifices of men that were to be used.

Maes Hughes figures out that Juliette Douglas, the Fuhror's secretary, is actually a homunculus, the one that Ed and Al created the night they performed human transmutation to bring their mother back. Hughes gets killed by Envy not long after his discovery, and before the news had reached anybody else. Later we find out that the Fuhror is also a homunculus, named Pride.

The love letter from Hoenheim to Dante is found, dated about 400 years ago. Dante, in the body of Lira, is actually the "master" of all the homunculi, the one that has been controlling him. She was unable of making her own Philosopher's Stone after Hoenheim had left her; she had to use the homunculi's help to find the Stone so that she can continue to jump bodies and remain "immortal". Lust realizes that Dante was just using them all for her personal benefit so she betrays them and tries to help Ed forge the Stone so that he can make her human.

Envy reveals who he truly is: the first son of Hoenheim. Seconds later, he "kills" Ed, leaving his soul at the gate, not yet beyond it. Alphonse uses the Stone within him to bring Ed back to life and into his original body. Ed is heartbroken that Alphonse sacrificed himself so he does some weird thing at the gate and brings Alphonse back, throwing his body and soul onto the other side of the gate.

**Themes: **balance in life, sacrifice, life and death

**Motifs: **equivalent exchange vs. gain without sacrifice, immaturity and growing up, height (ha ha ha).

**Symbols: **The trains: represents journey and experience

Wrath's right arm and left leg vs. Ed's automail: the human arm and leg on Wrath represent Edward's sins and sacrifices.

The Gate: represents the border between life and death and the "in-between". Kind of obvious…

**Foreshadowing: **When Ed is forced to create the Philosopher's Stone, Envy says something about never being able to forgive Ed for carrying that "bastard's blood in your veins". This foreshadows the fact that Envy has some relation with Ed's father/mother.


End file.
